You have a Drainage Ditch and a Kayak. Now what?

Gargamel · 10-05-13, 03:26 AM

Back in the 90's, I went to school in upstate New York, an hour north of Lake Placid (Where they held 2 winter Olypmics!). In my outdoor club, while I was canoeing chairman, our kayaking chair made it a personal goal to paddle in his kayak every day for one year. (He succeeded)

He showed up at a Wednesday evening one night in january, long scraggly hair frozen straight back (His VW Bus windows didnt roll all the way up, it didn't have a clutch either, and he only wore flip flops (year round) because he wasn't allowed in the buildings bare foot). He said he had found a drainage ditch through a farmers field that was mainly forzen over, but running fast and deep. He took his paddle, broke "breathing holes" every 30-40 feet in the ice, and then a take out spot. He then got in the boat, rolled it over, and feather pulled his way from blow hole to blow hole, rolling back up to breathe, then back upside down to scoot along the underside of the ice.

He said it was one of the most "interesting" paddles he's ever done. "Boring, but Interesting".

That previous summer, he was getting paid to do a first decent for a photo shoot of a water fall on the Yough river in PA, near where he grew up. He said it was about 75 feet high. The night before, he couldn't sleep, cause the bad karma of being paid to do a first decent was bad mojo. So pre-dawn, he goes out, without a safety team, and runs the falls. A few hours later, for the shoot, he nails it, saying his practice run helped him stick the landing better.

Morale of the story, kayakers are crazy mofo's.

10-05-13, 03:26 AM	#3
Gargamel Lucky Sailor Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Rome Posts: 4,273 Downloads: 81 Uploads: 0	Back in the 90's, I went to school in upstate New York, an hour north of Lake Placid (Where they held 2 winter Olypmics!). In my outdoor club, while I was canoeing chairman, our kayaking chair made it a personal goal to paddle in his kayak every day for one year. (He succeeded) He showed up at a Wednesday evening one night in january, long scraggly hair frozen straight back (His VW Bus windows didnt roll all the way up, it didn't have a clutch either, and he only wore flip flops (year round) because he wasn't allowed in the buildings bare foot). He said he had found a drainage ditch through a farmers field that was mainly forzen over, but running fast and deep. He took his paddle, broke "breathing holes" every 30-40 feet in the ice, and then a take out spot. He then got in the boat, rolled it over, and feather pulled his way from blow hole to blow hole, rolling back up to breathe, then back upside down to scoot along the underside of the ice. He said it was one of the most "interesting" paddles he's ever done. "Boring, but Interesting". That previous summer, he was getting paid to do a first decent for a photo shoot of a water fall on the Yough river in PA, near where he grew up. He said it was about 75 feet high. The night before, he couldn't sleep, cause the bad karma of being paid to do a first decent was bad mojo. So pre-dawn, he goes out, without a safety team, and runs the falls. A few hours later, for the shoot, he nails it, saying his practice run helped him stick the landing better. Morale of the story, kayakers are crazy mofo's. __________________ Luck is a residue of Design.